A Detective's End
by Kairo Laroche
Summary: My twist on what happens when Conan can't solve the code and defuse the bomb in time at Tokyo Tower. Will Detective Takagi and Conan be crushed? Takagi's feelings are known at last but it'll be too late when it's realized by the woman he loves.
1. Disarm the bomb!

~ Chapter One ~

~ Tokyo Tower ~

Three minutes left, Conan Edogawa, alias for Shinichi Kudou, had to disarm the bomb. He was close, Detective Takagi's words guided him on how to disarm the bomb as the tool kit next to him was filled with all sorts of equipment for disarming bombs. Tagaki couldn't get on to the top of the elevator without setting the bomb off and that left Conan to do it himself.

Any movement would force the mercury lever to move and the bomb would go off, killing the pair instantly as well as forcing the elevator to the bottom of the shaft. At the mark of three minutes, words crossed the LCD screen, giving words that a hint would be revealed at three seconds before the bomb detonated.

A growl from above made Takagi pause and look up, "Conan-kun? What's wrong?" Conan didn't want to break it to the officer but he had to. "A message passed across the LCD screen just now, saying that a hint will be revealed three seconds before the bomb detonates." Takagi was shocked, it was exactly like the previous bombings.

Takagi looked up after a moment at the open grate, "Conan-kun. Who are you, really?"  
>Conan was silent for a moment, "I'll tell you. In the next world," he replied. Takagi was confused but asked no questions.<p>

This time, Conan was stumped on what the hint might be or where the secondary bomb was. All they could do was wait until it came time. Conan remained silent as he watched the screen carefully, Takagi's shock wore off and he took the time to call Officer Sato. "S-sato-san?" his voice was quivering, he was afraid but he swallowed that fear. Conan wasn't really paying attention to Takagi or what he was saying, his own thoughts turned to Mouri Ran. He wished he could see her one last time before he was blown sky high, but she wasn't anywhere near a television and she would be completely unaware of the danger until later.

At the three second mark, read the screen.

E V I T C E T E D. What did it mean? Conan growled, irritated that he couldn't figure it out.

Even if you prepare a good stopper, I'll just turn it around in the end...

Tantei...

Turn it around in the end...

Teitan!

"Officer Takagi! It's Teitan High! That's where the bombs are planted!" Conan called out to the officer, who, fortunately, was still on the phone with Officer Sato. "Teitan!" he repeated then spoke into the phone. "You get that, Sato-san?" There last seconds had come and they wouldn't make it out alive.

A moment of silence passed, the last seconds of their life were ticking away. "Sato-san..I'm sorry.." Takagi spoke through the phone, to the woman he loved before he hung up. He wouldn't allow her to hear his dying scream, nor Conan's for that matter. She had had enough loss and pain, though he knew his death would add to that. He refused to cause her more agony by allowing the phone to stay linked. It was likely that the explosion would shatter the phone or cause something to fall and crush it anyway so there was no point.

"Sato..." Takagi had decided to just come out and say it. "I...love you.." he hung up the phone after that, letting it snap shut. "Forgive me.." the officer sighed and slid down to sit on the elevator's floor. It seemed pretty hopeless for the pair, even as their last seconds ticked by. Takagi looked up at Conan, dragging him down after a second and covered him so that at least one of them would survive. "Officer Takagi!" he had been drawn from his thoughts, struggling against him. "It won't..." Takagi huddled in the corner, shielding Conan with his body. Conan had been going to say that it would do no good to try and save him, having accepted that he was going to die.

"No! I'm going to save you if it's the last thing I do, Conan!" Takagi looked down at him, "you're just a kid and you have a lot to live for. Your life won't end here, I can't let it end here. I've lived long enough and I'm sad to know I won't see her face again, but if I die. Maybe...just maybe...my feelings can be conveyed to her!"

With a speech like that, it was hard for Conan to do anything else but go still. He was shocked that the officer had finally found his hidden courage, though he knew it was there.

With a smile, Conan sighed and shook his head. "I'll let her know...if I survive this, Officer Takagi." He didn't know if he was going to survive this, his relationship as Shinichi Kudou with Rachel was at stake and was being threatened at this very moment.

As was his relationship as Conan Edogawa, both were at stake and if he had to die here. He just hoped that somehow, he could be restored to his own body before this was all over.

If there were a time to pray to a god, now would be the time. But gods were so far above his own status as a human, how could he pray to them?

As the last second ticked away, the bomb went off with a fiery explosion. Even as Takagi's back was burned badly, he didn't move or stop shielding Conan from the now falling and burning debris.

When the last of the debris had stop falling upon the pair, they were both buried beneath it. Takagi was in bad shape though Conan seemed to still be alive, if not starting to be crushed by Takagi's body. 


	2. Trapped!

~ Teitan High ~

~ Rachel Moore ~

Students left the room almost immediately at the school bell's toll, leaving only Rachel Moore and her best friend, Sonoko Suzuki still seated at their desks.

The test for math had just finished, giving the students a chance for a break before the next test.

Sirens had been going off all day long, leaving Rachel and the other students to wonder what was happening outside.

"So what did you think of the math?" Rachel asked her friend, whom had her head down on her desk.

"I feel like I'm dying," was Sonoko's response. She looked up at Rachel, "unlike you. I don't have a supporter."

"A supporter?" Rachel asked, confused.

Sonoko smirked slightly, "don't play dumb. You were looking at Shinichi's seat the whole time during the test." She proceeded to tease her friend, "'Save me, Shinichi! Why can't I integrate this equation?' Just like that."

Rachel was surprised, "No! The reason I was looking at his seat..."

"Was because?" Sonoko asked, leaning forward as if she might discover something interesting.

"It was...because.." Rachel hesitated, unsure as to if she really wanted to explain that to her friend.

"Hah! You're turn all red. It's bad luck to blush during a test." Sonoko stated, proceeding to tease her friend more.

Rachel sighed, turning around so that she faced forward again and rested her chin in the palm of her hand. It was becoming annoying now, to hear her talk about bad luck and other superstitious things.

She stood and moved to the open window, directing the subject in a different direction. "Speaking of red, there have been a lot of sirens since this morning."

Sonoko got up and stood beside her, looking out the window as well. "Yeah, now that you mention it."

"I wonder if something happened.." Rachel murmured quietly, curious to know what was going on.

~ Outside Tokyo Tower ~

~ Officer Sato ~

Sato had sped on to Tokyo Tower, using the police siren that she stored in her car to get through traffic quickly and to the tower. She was desperately trying to get a hold of Takagi again after he so quickly hung up on her, but she didn't get through after trying several times. All she could do was hurry to the Tower and talk some sense into him if she saw him. What else could she do but scold him for hanging up on her and ignoring her direct orders as a senior officer?

As she got out of the car, the tower exploded and was now little more than a red inferno. The crowd around screamed in panic, giving the tower a wide berth as they retreated to their cars. As far as she knew, the tower hadn't been evacuated just yet and there were still people trapped inside. "Takagi-kun!" she abandoned her car, slamming the door shut and ran toward the Tower. With the crowds of people trying to get away, it was difficult to reach her destination but she was determined.

Contacting HQ didn't even cross her mind, her only thoughts were of evactuating the people from the tower. It was a mindset that had formed from her years on the police force, sirens from fire trucks were already drawing near with their loud wails announcing their presence and screeching tires their arrival as they grinded to a halt.

Several of them lined up near the Tower but not too close, three of the group had prepared the hoses to douse the fires most of those remaining got ready to enter to evacuate the people trapped inside.

"Let's move it!" One, the leader of them from the looks of it, shouted as he lead the way inside. "There's people in there and they need saving!"

After what seemed like ages had past, those that had survived the blast were safely escorted from the building and those that had not were being carried out though there were few.

Neither Conan's nor Takagi's bodies were among those that were brought out, meaning that the pair was probably still trapped inside. A few more came running out, one of them reporting in. "Sir! There are two more trapped in the lower elevator shaft, several of the survivors witnessed the elevator going down as a man jumped in to save the child that was in there as it went down."

"What! Don't just stand there then, find them! We've got to get them out of there," the chief knew that it was a slim chance for the man and child to have survived but they still had to try to save them. If not, they'd at least be recovering their bodies.

Several hours passed before enough wreckage had been cleared out before the bodies Takagi and Conan could be recovered, it seemed like a hopeless situation but they fire-fighters didn't give in until they were free. They couldn't, really. With a child's life at stake, it seemed to motivate them even more.

Parametics had been called long before the recovery and was on standby, treating the survivors and waiting for the pair that was trapped inside.

While Takagi was in bad shape, his body battered, bruised, and burned from the explosion; Conan wasn't as bad off as Takagi appeared. It was nothing short of a miracle that he still lived, the same could be said for Takagi though his condition was currently critical as atested by the Paramedics that had been on standby waiting.

Sato stopped to watch the commotion, it took her several moments before she remembered that she should report in to HQ. 


	3. Conan's Amensia

~ Tokyo Tower ~

With Conan and Takagi successfully retrieved, the detective boys and Sato-keiji could relax slightly. Even if it wasn't quite the time for such a thing, the bomber was still out there...waiting...with his sights set on Teitan High.

How could she forget! She'd been so worried about Takagi's survival, she'd forgotten to mention that in her report. Sato quickly dialed HQ (again) and informed them on what was happening as she ran to her car.

Needless to say, she sped all the way to Teitan High School with her siren atop her roof so that people would move and let her through.  
>In order to slip up on the bomber, she shut her siren off and made her way to the school's parking lot.<p>

The police had arrived quickly once the call had been made, the bomber was clearly watching the building for the bombs he set to go off. Even as he pressed the button, nothing happened.

~ Beika Hospital ~

Rachel Moore had been informed of the incident and left school immediately after finishing her last test, Sonoko had tagged along long enough to escape from school.

Though there was nothing more important than her best friend, Sonoko had things to attend to.

There was no danger for the two of them, though the students remaining at school had been under threat without realizing it until the building was evacuated.

The bombs had been disarmed and disposed of, the police were closing in on their target at the very moment.

Rachel had ran straight toward Conan's room, peering in the room to find him asleep. She let herself in and slid the door shut behind her, sitting on the edge of his bed.

Conan felt his bed sink down on one side but couldn't bring himself to wake up even as much as he wanted to see who was there, he couldn't. It frustrated him, causing his heart rate to rise a little even though he was in no danger of dying anymore. He had several burns, only two of them severe enough that he would have to stay in the hospital for treatment.

The voice that spoke and the touch to his forehead was familiar but he couldn't place it, it was as though a memory was trying to surge forth but it couldn't break through the thick shell of darkness that clouded his mind.

"Conan-kun..." a voice murmured softly, a soft hand running through his bangs.

Rachel watched as Conan slept, she wore a sad smile that he was in such a condition but he seemed to be alright physically. The doctor that was in charge of caring for him said he'd recover in a few days, maybe not enough to go home. But he'd be able to get up and walk around if he'd like.

Several tears escaped and fell down onto the bed sheet, Conan hadn't woken up yet even though it'd just been a few hours. Rachel wanted to shake him to see if he'd wake up, but she knew she couldn't do that. It might hinder his recovery even further if she did.

All she could do was sit and wait for him to wake.

Rachel came and visited him, talking to him even though he wasn't awake to hear her talk. Some days she talked to him about school, the detective agency, and the detective boys.

His friends had actually tagged along one day, even though they had been disappointed in him still being asleep. The detective boys had stayed for awhile, each taking their turn to talk to their friend's sleeping form.

~ 3 days later ~

On the third day of Rachel's visit, Conan began to stir and wake up from his three day long sleep.

As he pushed himself to sit up in bed, he studied his surroundings. "A...hospital room?" he asked, confused. He didn't quite understand why he was there or how he'd gotten there but there must've been a good reason for it.

When Conan looked at Rachel, he didn't recognize her. "Er...lady..who're you?" he asked, reaching for the glasses on the night stand next to his bed.

"C-conan-kun?" Rachel exclaimed, surprised that he'd woken up but she was glad that he did.

At least, she was until he asked who she was. It seemed that he didn't remember her, "stay here." Was all she said before she ran off to find the doctor responsible for taking care of him.

It wasn't long before they returned. "Ah, so you're finally awake. How do you feel?" the doctor inquired, going through the motions of taking his temperature and checking his vitals.

"Fine for the most part, but why am I here?" The doctor frowned at this, taking his time in answering.

"You are here because you and an adult were trapped in an elevator shaft as a bomb exploded near you," he responded then waited for another question but it didn't come just yet. "You both were very fortunate, you more so than the man who was with you."

"So...I was in an elevator shaft...when a bomb exploded..with another person?" All of this seemed to confuse Conan, but he had nothing to do but believe the story.

The doctor nodded, "by the way. I am doctor Araide."

Conan nodded, the name seemed to tug at the back of his mind but he couldn't place it.

Araide turned to Rachel who was waiting for his diagnosis, he ushered her outside of the room and shut the door.

"I'm afraid to say that he doesn't remember much more than his own name, he doesn't remember people or the events that happened to land him here in the hospital. He'll have to stay one more day, just to be safe. Afterwards, you should be able to take him home. Maybe he'll begin to remember some things if he goes home but it's not for sure, don't try to stress his mind too much. He might never remember if you try and force him to remember," Rachel nodded at his words.

"Thank you Araide-sensei," Rachel returned the room to find Conan waiting.

"You never answered my question, you know." Conan informed her once she had sat down. Rachel was startled briefly but realized that he still didn't know her name, she hadn't answered his question from before. "Right, I'm Rachel Moore."

Conan seemed to recognize the name, speaking it aloud to himself. "Rachel..." he frowned, resting his right hand on the side of his head as if he were trying to recall the name.

"I see," was his response. It wasn't what she wanted to hear but it was a start she supposed.

The day passed fairly quickly, Rachel was estatic that Conan was awake but she spent most of her time, when she wasn't talking to him or near him, thinking about her childhood friend.

Rachel hadn't heard from him in awhile, and with Conan forgetting everyone around him, she wouldn't for a long time still. Though she couldn't know that, there'd be little in the way of knowing what was going on with her friend. 


	4. School and Sleep

In the three days after the incident, just as Rachel had been visiting Conan every day. Sato had been visiting Takagi every day, even though he was still in intensive care after taking the brunt of the bomb blast to protect Conan.

The surgery that he'd gone through after immediately arriving at the hospital was a success but it was a miracle that he pulled through.

Despite her protests, Inspector Megure made Sato take the week off so she'd have time to watch over Takagi as he lay asleep in the hospital. Though he wasn't awake, it made Sato feel better if she were talking instead of the pronounced silence that was obvious to herself. It disturbed her, listening to only the ticking of the clock as time went by slowly.

The clock's ticking reminded her of the last few seconds before she witnessed the bomb's explosion back at the tower, she hadn't gone back to that place. Even though it was under investigation by the police and their task force in looking for more bombs.

None had been found after multiple thorough sweeps, she wondered if they really expected to find any there after that one went off.

The doctor that was in charge of Takagi's recovery informed her that it could take up to at least two or three weeks for him to wake up. With as badly as his body had been burned and battered, Takagi was lucky to even be alive.

The reality of the fact that Takagi could've died had hit Sato the day after the surgery, jarring her confidence and her determination.

Even though she believed Takagi to be her one sturdy, shining light; he was just human after all. Just as her co-worker, Matsuda, had been.

The thought of that sent a shiver down her spine.

Days passed and before Sato knew it, it was time for her to go back into work. She didn't want to waste time just sitting around, though she felt as though she couldn't do much more than that.

It was a surprise to Sato when Inspector Megure said that she should watch of Takagi, to make sure that no one took the chance to take him out. She was suspicious but she was also relieved, knowing that it'd be difficult to stay away from him while he was down.

It as as though being in his presence, even while he was unconscious, calmed the raging torrent of emotion within her. She didn't know why but she felt calm around him, but...maybe it was because that she could protect him for a change, that she felt at ease.

Whatever the reason, Sato didn't waste time thinking about it. It wasn't that she didn't want to, it was that she had to stay alert on her job. Even if she did have several things with her to occupy her time, though she mostly read from a book when she was in the same room as him.

~ At the Detective Agency ~

Now that Conan was home, Rachel had watched after him closely. She didn't want to pry and force his memory, she was just curious most of the time. It wasn't too often that she asked if he remembered something.

Rachel had shown Conan the office and the upstairs where they lived and ate. Whenever Richard started after Conan, Rachel took up for him and scolded her father for being mean.

Just because Conan was home now, didn't give her father the right to bully and treat Conan as he did before.

The small boy was finding Richard more annoying that anything else, he didn't understand how Rachel put up with him.

Then again, he was her father. He supposed that was reason enough to stay...that and she was still in High School.

~ Few Days Later ~

After a few days went by, Conan just fell into a routine.

He was bored most days, having been left in the company of Richard whenever Rachel went to school.

Break had ended and he often waited for her to come home, just to have someone who wasn't an irritation to him to talk to.

Conan didn't have to go to school, the doctor having given him a semi-long term excuse from school until he regained his memory.

On the third day of his routine, he was growing bored with it. He waited at the front door for Rachel, fed and fully dressed.

When she spotted him, she knelt down to his height. "Conan? What are you doing?" he blinked and looked up at her. "Can I go with you today? I don't wanna stay home and be stuck with the meanie," he was tired of being stuck watching Richard's drunken act day in and day out when he didn't have a case to work on.

She thought about for several moments before she agreed, hoping it was alright to take him along. "I'll take you, but you have to promise to behave. Alright?"

Conan agreed, eager to be away from Richard and his antics. Rachel smiled and took his head, leading him outside. She shut the door behind them and locked it, putting her key back into her uniform's coat pocket.

"You should go see Agasa-Hakase sometime, Conan. I'm sure he's worried," Conan looked up at her confused. "Professor?" he asked, frowning.

Rachel sighed, "we'll go by after school. Alright?" Conan nodded, unsure if he wanted to meet the person but he agreed to do so.

~ At School ~

While Rachel attended her classes, Conan didn't stray far from her side and even hid behind Rachel whenever Sonoko started to pick on him.

There was little commotion that he caused, drawing quietly on paper he'd been given.

Though, the teachers were reluctant to let him stay, they agreed in the end on the terms that he were to be quiet and not disturb class. Conan followed the rules that had been set for him perfectly, not making a sound while he drew.

Though they were somewhat random scribbles, he ended up drawing Big Ben and the buildings surrounding it, several dogs on one page, and several people even though he couldn't name who they were.

By the end of the day, Conan had a stack of drawings. Each one different than the one before.

Rachel had put them in her bag, having offered to carry them home for him. The teachers had been amazed on how well behaved he was, saying he was welcome to come back if he wanted to again.

Conan held onto Rachel's hand as if it weren't anything new to him, yawning on the way to Agasa's house. He could feel his feet growing heavier with each step, "Conan-kun?" Rachel asked, looking down at him. His yawn hadn't gone unnoticed. "Are you tired?"

She received a quiet, 'uh-huh' in response to her question. Rachel smiled and stopped, picking Conan up. "Alright, we'll go see Agasa-Hakase tomorrow then."

Though Conan didn't run and make too much noise, she was sure that sitting in classes quietly all day made him tired. He probably didn't want to hear teachers babble on about lessons that weren't even his to have to listen to.

Conan put an arm of Rachel's shoulder and held on, soon nodding off with his cheek against her shoulder. Normally, it wasn't something he would've done but he didn't know and even if he did. He'd be too tired to care.

Rachel had met up with the detective boys on the way home, Haibara, Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko were all following her on their route home.

Haibara was distant, watching Conan as he slept in the arms of the one he loved even though he didn't remember that he did.

Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko all asked how Conan was doing even though they could see him asleep and clinging to Rachel.

Rachel smiled, glad to know that they were concerned for him. "He hasn't remembered anything yet, but when he does. I'll let Professor Agasa know and he'll pass on the information to you. Alright?"

The detective boys looked disappointed but they agreed and left, letting Rachel walk in silence once more.

Aside from the sound of the traffic, Conan's breathing was all she could hear.

When Rachel got home, she took Conan up to his room and tucked him into bed after changing him into his pajamas.

She would let him sleep until dinner, since he seemed to be so tired.


	5. Nightbaron! Takagi awakens!

0While Conan slept, dreamed of all sorts of different people that he hadn't seen before. All of which were shrouded by darkness but he could see their faces clear enough. One after another, hundreds came and went though he couldn't recall their names. Who were these people and why was he dreaming of them now? It frustrated him to see so many faces and only being able to recall seven of their names but that was because he'd met them all recently since losing his memory.

An instant later, a huge pendalum swung through the darkness towards him then vanished. He had lunged to the side to avoid the sharp point but he didn't realize that he didn't need to until he'd already done so. It returned so that it passed back and forth in front of him, the sound of a clock's chime going off each time it passed.

One...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine...ten...

He counted each chime and when the last one faded away, the pendalum burst into flames then turned into a masked figure that was known to the world as Nightbaron. A woman stepped out from behind him, wearing a similar cloak and a mask as well.

Nightbaron's voice resounded deeply, shaking Conan the core of his being. "Shinichi Kudou, you who have defied even death to be here."

The female's voice next to him reverberated through the air, "why do you let limitations hold you back? Be who you are, solve your own mystery. Return to us," she faded just as her words did.

"Well be waiting, Shinichi Kudou." Nightbaron, too, faded as his words did.

Return to them? But how could he if he didn't know who they were or what his own mystery was? The only thing that might even relate to that was that he didn't know who he was.

'Wait!' Conan called after them, running towards them in the darkness. He was too late, they were already gone and he wasn't even any closer to finding out who he was.

The pendalum returned with a fury, swinging full force at him now. Just as it was upon him, everything seemed to faded into gray.

"Conan-kun...Conan-kun.." a voice echoed through his subconscious, he felt the slight pressure of a hand on his shoulder. "Wake up, Conan-kun...it's time for dinner." The voice informed him, intent on pulling him from his slumber. In his mind, the voice was soft and almost unbearably familiar.

Conan's eyes opened slowly, blinking away the sleep and the tears as he woke up. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Conan-kun?" That voice persisted, though it wasn't anywhere near annoying. Not to him.

Conan jerked awake and sat upright quickly, he felt dizzy for a moment but that soon faded. He looked around the room, finding himself in the room he'd been staying in ever since he left the hospital.

He didn't wait to get out of bed, he staggered and clung to the nearest thing which happened to be Rachel's leg.

She was surprised at first but she reached down and lifted Conan up, holding him out to look at him. "Well, good evening sleepy-head." Rachel smiled then sat him down on the bed, "you should be more careful Conan-kun."

The small boy was dumbfounded but he nodded, looking over to take up his glasses and put them on. Rachel took his hand when he was up and steady on his feet this time, leading him to where a special dinner was waiting just for him.

~ Beika Central Hospital ~

Dinner at the hospital was a sullen affair, she had left Takagi's room roughly five minutes ago to get some coffee and food from the cafeteria in the hospital. She'd bought enough for herself and a little extra for Takagi every day that she was there, though he never woke up to eat what she brought him.

Surely today would be no different, Sato returned to the room with the food she'd bought and closed the door behind her. It took her a moment to realize that the doctor was in the room, checking vitals.

"Sensei?" Sato asked, setting her food down. She was surprised that the doctor was there, "what's going on?" The doctor who was there turned to look at her, "the patient has woken up it seems."

"Takagi!" She rushed forward to see for herself, careful not to bump into the doctor while he worked. It was true, Takagi had finally awoken.

Sato was glad that he'd finally come to, he'd been out for about a little under a week. Sato drew her chair up to his bed, "good to see that you're finally awake." She'd have to report in later so that Inspector Megure knew about Takagi's awakening. She was sure that the rest of the police force would want to come and visit him.

"S-sato-san.." Takagi looked over at her, lifting his hand up to reach for her.

Sato took Takagi's hand, "I'm here." She assured him, her food was forgotten temporarily but she'd remember it soon enough when her stomach growled. For now, she was focused on Takagi. She asked several questions but didn't bombard him too much with them, she'd get to her questioning later and let out all her worry in getting angry at him when he recovered but he had awhile to not worry about facing that.

"How do you feel, Takagi-kun?" Sato asked out of concern, resting one hand on his forehead lightly. She didn't want to cause him too much pain, especially after what he'd been through and having just woken up from the ordeal.

Takagi gave a shrug, wincing as soon as he did. He regretted the action immediately, "could be worse. Could be better," was his response. He smiled slightly though, "I'll manage. As long as you stick around to talk to me," he would probably grow bored quickly otherwise.

Tears welled up in Sato's eyes though she didn't let them run, "baka..." She muttered, looking down so that her hair hid his eyes. "You're stupid...for making me worry like that...but..I'm..glad...that you're still alive." Sato stood, hugging Takagi around the neck despite what pain she might be causing him. She didn't think about it and it seemed that Takagi didn't protest to the sudden action.

Takagi bore through the pain, taking in the hug that Sato had given him. He couldn't quite grasp that she had but he wasn't complaining either. It'd take some time to get his head around that it had just happened but he'd choose not to think about it for the time being. "Sato-san? What happened...to Conan-kun?" he had just realized that he didn't know if the small boy made it out alive or not.

Sato pulled back and looked down at him, taking a seat in her chair. "He's lost his memory, he doesn't remember anything about the incident or anything beyond his name." She explained, Takagi's shocked expression was to be expected. "So...he lives, but he doesn't know who he is?" Takagi didn't know either but that wasn't the point of the matter, even if Takagi didn't know who Conan really was. He was sure that if and when Conan remembered, he'd feel responsible for landing him in this mess even though it was his own decision to protect him.

It wasn't something Takagi would regret doing, especially if it helped someone survive soemthing like what they had been through. Takagi was glad that they both had managed to survive.

"So...how'd he lose his memory? What exactly happened in there, Takagi?" Sato questioned, curiosity making her want to know.

Takagi looked toward the window, "when it came down to those last seconds... I thought I was going to die, and surely he would to." He paused, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't know what it was, but something made me protect him...he's just a child...and he has so much to live for." He supposed that was the reasoning behind as to why he did what he did, "but..if he doesn't remember... Then how was shielding him from the blast any good?"

Sato frowned, "don't worry. You did what you could and that's all anyone could ask, he'll remember who he is soon. He's back where he belongs, with Rachel Moore and her father." She wanted to press Takagi for more details but she wouldn't force him to remember just after waking up. She was sure that he didn't want to face that just yet, not if he didn't want to.

All that mattered is that he was alive, awake, and recovering. 


	6. Video games and forgotten friends

"Takagi-kun?" Sato had seated herself in her chair next to the bed once more, looking down at him. Takagi looked up at her voice, "what is it Sato?" He asked, doing away with formality for the moment.  
>It was difficult for her to say but she spoke again after several moments, "I thought...while you were in there...and that bomb...I thought I was going to lose you." She looked down at her hands, her eyes downcast as she fell silent, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.<p>Takagi was shocked and surprised, surprised that she'd even shed tears for him. That she'd actually admit that she was worried, Sato wasn't the type of person to openly admit to her feelings unless it were anger or something similar to that.<p>

When she was able to look at him again, only faint lines where her tears had slid down her face remained. "Don't...don't ever do anything that stupid again!" She stood slightly, making Takagi lean away from her which was a bad move on his part.

Takagi winced from disrupting his fractured ribs, he placed a hand over his rib cage, drawing in a sharp breath from the pain just now.

"Takagi?" Sato got up and pushed him back down, sitting on the bed beside him. "You should rest.." she murmured, her voice softening from the recent sharp tone she used. She brushed back the bangs of his hair, leaning over him slightly. "You need to get better, so we can have you back in action before too long.." she knew his recovery would take time and she was all too willing to sit by his side while he recovered.

Takagi sighed, reaching out to take her hand with his own that was free to move without restriction. Sato laced her fingers through his and settled beside him, "you're gonna be okay now... Right?" He looked down at her at his question, blushing slightly as she laid her head on his shoulder then nodded. "Of course, I'm not going to go down that easy..." he promised before he yawned.

With the room already dim, only a lamp illuminated the room but just enough to see the location of the furniture and the doorway. The pair soon fell asleep like that, remaining that way just before sunrise.

Sato was the one to wake, finding herself on Takagi's bed covered by a blanket one of the nurses must have laid over her while she slept. Carefully, she extracted her hand from Takagi's and took the blanket up from the bed. She tucked Takagi in before she went and laid down, going back to sleep on the bench she'd been sitting on the day before as she watched over Takagi.

~ Detective Agency - 7:30 pm ~

Conan was in awe at the dinner Rachel had made, all of his favorites were sitting out on the table still hot and fresh from just being finished up moments ago. "Wow! Is this all for me?" he asked as he looked up at Rachel, who smile and nodded. "Of course, eat up because there's plenty for you."

Conan grinned and helped himself to the foods on the table, piling his plate full. Rachel smiled, "don't eat too fast now Conan." She gently warned and sat down to watch him eat. She went ahead and made herself a plate, Conan looked up after several moment. "Oh, by the way. Where's Richard?" he asked, taking a bite of curry.  
>"He's off visiting with a few friends at one of the nearby bars," she replied as she ate her dinner. "Oh, so he's not here? Then can we play video games after dinner?" he asked.<br>Rachel blinked then nodded, "sure. But we'll be going over to a friend's house, even though he's gone the tv he has is huge."  
>"Really!" Conan asked, grinning at the thought. "I can't wait!" She nodded, swallowing the bite of food she had taken, "hey. How about we invite your friends, I'm sure they'd like to tag along and play too."<p>

Conan blinked, "friends? Yeah, and Agasa too. Right?" Rachel nodded. "Of course, I'm sure we can convince him to come over."  
>"Great," the small boy grinned and proceeded to finish the rest of his dinner so they could go play video games. It wasn't long before dinner was finished and everything was cleaned up.<br>Rachel had gone to get her shoes and jacket so they could leave, "come on Conan."  
>Said boy came running, practically brimming with excitement in playing video games on a large tv as though he'd never seen one. Rachel made several phone calls once they were at her friend's house, leaving Conan to explore the house on his own even though he'd been instructed not to wander off too far.<p>

Despite what he was told, he went up the stairs to poke around while Rachel was distracted.  
>Conan had made his way to the top of the stairs and down the hall to where his room was, though he was clueless about the fact that it was his room. He had just started to open the door when he felt a pair of arms go around his waist, the grip firm but gentle at the same time. "Conan! Didn't I tell you not to wander off?" he was surprised and had the decency to look ashamed but Rachel soon released him.<br>She knew that it couldn't be helped, she pushed open the door and walked in past Conan.

Rachel sighed, "I wonder when he's coming back..if he ever will." Conan frowned, confused. "Who, Rachel?"  
>She shook her head, having forgotten temporarily about his amnesia. "Shinichi, the person who this house belongs to."<br>"Shinichi?" he asked, the name seemed as though he should know it but he couldn't bring the face of the person to mind. "Hmn.." he thought about it for several minutes before letting the subject drop.

Rachel sat on his bed, taking a look around the room. It was spacious and open, but the smell of the one who had lived here was faded. Barely noticeable anymore, the scent she had grown acustomed to was gone and even if she wouldn't admit it; she missed the scent of her friend.

The room was silent, Conan just watching Rachel quietly. Thoughts stirred in his head, as though his memories were trying to break through the shroud of darkness that loomed over his mind. That silence was broken by five voices who called for Conan and Rachel, wherever they might be at the moment.  
>Rachel looked up at the voices, "well. That's them," she smiled. "Are you ready, Conan?"<br>He nodded, though it was a lie. He wasn't ready to leave the room, perhaps he'd come back whenever Rachel wasn't with him and he could sift through the books as well as the other things here. He felt as though he should know the place but he couldn't explain why, Rachel took his hand to lead him down the stairs to where they were waiting. Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta were already waiting in the living room with Professor Agasa.

Haibara had taken a seat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the room, watching as the three children proceeded to set up a game console as well as three controllers so they could play though some would have to take turns.  
>Conan had chosen to sit with Haibara, unsure why he did this but his actions surprised Haibara but she said nothing of it. It wasn't uncommon for the two to be seen sitting with one another, Haibara watched her friend from the corner of her eye while he watched the three play on the large tv. He seemed interested for once, unusual for him from what Haibara has come to know of him. <p>


	7. Distraction! A Newfound crush

Several hours had passed before Conan grew tired of playing video games, he handed the controller off to one of the other children then abandoned his spot on the sofa to return to his spot next to Haibara. With a tired yawn and his hand covering his mouth, he leaned back as his eyes closed.  
>A stray tear slid down one side of his face only to be wiped away by Haibara herself, she could tell he was tired.<br>Conan glanced at her in surprise though he let his eyes close once more, too tired to even protest to her action. "Edogawa-kun?" she asked at last, waiting for him to acknowledge her words.  
>When he looked her way, she spoke. "Can you show me to the bathroom?" she questioned, it threw him off as to why she'd ask that but he nodded. "Sure, we can find it together." He slid from the chair and waited for her to join him at the door way, he ignored the feel of four uncomfortable stares on his back. One was Rachel, while the other three were his so-called friends.<p>Professor Agasa was the only one who had the decency not to stare at the pair, he quickly pointed out that time was running out on the clock in the game. That distracted the children and their disconcerted cries distracted Rachel so that she focused on the game the children were playing.<p>

Conan and Haibara slipped from the room unnoticed, Haibara taking hold of Conan's hand as she let herself be lead by him. He blushed slightly at the contact but said nothing of it, "I think I saw one upstairs while I was exploring."  
>Haibara just nodded silently, following him up the stairs as he lead her there. Her intent was not to use the bathroom, but to get Conan away from the others so they could talk without getting strange looks from the other occupants.<br>She stopped once they were well out of earshot and out of view from the bottom of the stairs, "Conan." She stopped, pulling him to a halt as well. "Do you really not remember who you are?" she asked, watching as he shook his head.

"No, I don't remember who I am." Conan responded, his gaze was steady but she could see that he was unsure of himself. He knew that he lost his memory and that he didn't know who he was, the only things he could remember were the past few days. Everything else was a blur, a mystery that didn't want to be solved.  
>There was no light to shed on the mystery that plagued his mind, it was as if an inpenetrable shadow had been cast over his memories to devour andor hide them.

Haibara sighed, turning away from him as she crossed her arms. "I see, then you don't remember me before today." He frowned, annoyed but he couldn't help feel as though he had disappointed her.  
>She had turned away to hide the shame of him in her eyes and the faint blush that tinted her cheeks, knowing that she, herself, had fallen for the troubled boy after just a few days in his presence. And now, without the hesitation of Rachel's influence stopping him. She had the chance to ask him how he felt for her but she knew it would be for nothing. How could it be when he didn't remember?<p>

"Conan-kun.." she murmured, getting his attention. He looked up at her, away from the floor he had taken to staring at when she turned from him. "What is it, Haibara?"

Before she could speak again, Rachel called out for the pair. "Conan-kun? Ai-chan? Are you alright up there?" Haibara frowned, though showed nothing more than that to prove her discontent of the interruption.  
>Conan had spoken up, "we're fine. We'll be down in a moment," he called back to her before looking at Haibara.<br>She met his gaze, feeling her heart flutter before it settled back down. "Come on, we better get back to them." Haibara found herself nodding, discontent that she didn't get the chance to tell Conan how she felt. She let him lead her back down the stairs, keeping a hold on his hand for the time she could get away with it.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, everyone had ceased playing because of how late it was. Agasa was going to take the three children home, leaving Conan and Haibara with Rachel for the time being. Haibara started to leave but Conan stopped her, "wait."  
>Conan looked up at Rachel, "I'm gonna walk her home. Alright? I'll come back when she's safely at home," he didn't know it wouldn't take very long considering she lived just next door.<br>Conan turned to Haibara, taking her hand. "Come on, let's go." He smiled, she was surprised but she agreed. "Alright, Edogawa-kun." Haibara smiled slightly and walked with him, the pair disappeared beyond the front door after a few seconds.

Rachel went to shut off the lights of the house, making sure everything else was clean and locked up before she made her way to the front door as well.  
>Agasa had taken the game system with him, since it belonged to him and all.<p>

Conan, as he had promised, walked Haibara the short distance to the house next door. Even though he didn't remember much, Haibara had reminded him where she lived. The light was on inside so they assumed the professor was back already, the smells of cooking food wafted through the door and to the outside where the two stood. "I...guess, I'll see you around." Conan muttered nervously, avoiding eye-contact with her.  
>Haibara nodded, "I'll be sure to drop by and steal you for awhile tomorrow at some point." He frowned at her choice of words but didn't protest, "I'll let Rachel know you're going to drop by for a moment then."<br>Shyly but quickly, Haibara kissed Conan's cheek before disappearing into the house behind her.  
>Conan blushed profusely, unsure of what just happened there. He stood dumbfounded for several moments before he made his way back to Rachel, a faint blush still evident on his face. He could tell from the burn on his face that it hadn't gone away, he hoped Rachel would think he stood outside in the chilly air too long and his face had started to turn red from the cold.<p>

Rachel had fussed over Conan when she saw him, his face red but not from the chill though she checked to see if he had a fever. Once satisfied that he was alright, though his face was slightly cold to her touch. She lead Conan back to the Detective Agency where a drunken Richard Moore sat, passed out at his desk.  
>Rachel had peeked in to check in on her father, sighing when she saw him passed out from drinking too much. She shut the lights off and left her father to sleep, locking the door behind her. "Come on, it's time to get you to bed Conan-kun."<br>She helped the small boy change and get ready for bed, leaving him once she was sure he'd go to sleep. She went to bed shortly after him, asleep within seconds of laying down.

That night, Conan dreamed of Haibara and some about his past though the parts of his past were extremely fuzzy and vague. They made little or no sense to him, dreams of his past soon faded to leave only dreams of Haibara and earlier that evening when they were alone together. 


End file.
